Fat Oysters Academy Inc

19/02/2024

1st crop of students from Springbank School....karakia and waiata and away we went. 11 students 1teachet...@ Lake Manuwai

20/07/2023

Morena, getting excited and real for our haerenga to Samoa, up with a lark I tenei ata.
I feel my wairua is about to be challenged big time or has it already?
but I know I'll be a better person for it.
I often reflect on my upbringing, that is my why..

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua
I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past.

14/07/2023

Let's go again whanau....have a go day ooon 9am at Parua Bay..
Was tino awesome listening to two genuine, I mean genius business minds yesterday in Conan Herbert ( Tai Paddles) and Troy Nexus....and more recently Matt Sutton .
The Fat Oysters Academy is proud to be close enough to these people to feel we can certainly be of value to not only them in spreading the their love for their craft wherever we go on our waka journey.
There's no one better to do that at any event ,than Sophia Thomas who can say joke or sing it in one breath.....omg Some Lung!!!.....sounds like a Samwoo meal.

Anyhu...
My highlight for the day occurred during spot prizes draw
Hone Harawira
You like muttonbird??
Oh man of course...how much ?
Hone..come up home and get it ( sounds like just around the corner!)
Me.
You like oysters?
Hilda Halkyard-Harawira does.
I quickly trotted off and put some in a small box and placed it at his feet.
Just by coincidence Hilda is slowly walking towards us.
Hone says put the box on the table and for Sophia to announce her as a winner of a spot prize!!
Scouring the table, we tell her not that one, not that one either.....the box!
Poho kereru!!
Better than Click and Collect..
Off she goes and Hone is grinning, he knows her well!
Finally a thank you to all the paddlers, karakia and chill pill.
In finishing ( Copied and pasted)

Ko nga maapono nui e toru e arahi ana i a Matariki ko te maumahara - ko te whakanui i te hunga kua mate mai i te aranga ake o Matariki, te whakanui i tenei wa, te hui tahi me te whanau me nga hoa e titiro whakamua ana.
titiro whakamua ki te kupu whakaari o te tau hou

The three major principles that guide Matariki are: remembrance — honouring those who have died since the last rising of Matariki. celebrating the present — gathering together with family and friends. looking to the future — looking forward to the promise of a new year.

Ko tatou tena-that's us
He ra ano apopo - another day tomorrow...
MauriOra.

13/03/2023

Morena koutou, rest assured despite this page being quiet, FOAI are busy busy busy.
Alot of our activities are shown on the Kahoe O Ngati Rehia Trust page, which is strictly waka ama based for All ages.

14/08/2022

Free 3D Mockup

26/07/2022

Available with sides too, extra 1k

13/07/2022

Nonprofit? No problem!

10/07/2022

Providing a safe and beautiful place, so they could go about their work without distraction.
But not only that, to fill their cup with the wairua from our tupuna, connecting with there's.
The mana I spoke of cometh from those before them, and should be treasured nurtured and passed on.
I spoke to a couple of them, Ash Rosendaal and Tupuria King along with Jamille Ruka, Kahi Harawira , Stephen Ralston and others, being life changers to our very own mokoz...
Life changers deserve lifetime acknowledgements and so this is just a wee token of appreciation but only the beginning of more great things in life.

Kaua e mate wheke me
mate Ururoa
Life's too short, keep fighting keep dreaming and don't live to regret not trying..

A great team is like a circle. No sides to be broken, no ends to be ended and no angle to be measured 🤝
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Awesome camp in northland this weekend. Last big camp together before departing for London in a few weeks time.
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Big thank you to Daniel Kaiawe and his crew for hosting us at Whitiora marae and Lake Manuwai. To everyone who helped out, providing waka, setting up lanes, took photos, played time keeper or cooked good kai for us, we are very grateful. Left with a lot of mana from our stay. We were blessed with great weather and boys were on point.
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Not long to go now 💪
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🇳🇿

04/07/2022

Nice cold day....the guy on the right Matt has no Taringaz but his mate managed to talk and work with him...success in my book!!
Aroha mai Matthew Rakena doing the mahi for the Worlds Va'a Championships. Count down is oooon!

04/07/2022

And that's a wrap for this term...as usual some challenges, but some how the tractor pull trick bring out the best of no Taringaz...
Young Matthew Rakena out there too, his parking is amazing Evan Rakena!!

02/07/2022

Massive WoW to our FOAI team for securing and banking massive amounts of funding to purchase resources that will take and enhance our mahi to the next level.
This is based on our initiative to take waka ama programs to the geographically disadvantaged people...and current school programs.
Wananga On Wheels ( WOW) will also endeavor to support clubs, regions or communities where needed.
Please keep your eyes and ears open for future partnership announcements, the Fat Oysters Academy has just got fatter.
I personally would like to thank all those that have supported us on this hikoi thus far.
The Bay of Islands International Academy has been a massive part of that.
The Fat Oysters Academy Inc team members are
Myself
Tuppy Kaiawe
Sophia Thomas
Jackie Edwards-Bruce
Casey Gannon
Zachary Holly. .
Mauri ora whanau

27/06/2022

Great day for Waka Ama today with Springbank school...with Sophia Thomas..

17/06/2022

It's not all about the oysters whanau...just saying!

13/06/2022

Literally WOW!!
It's been a mind blowing experience for our team during this past weekend at the Turners Center in Kerikeri.

We laid bare our souls in front of a panel representing Te Urungi Arts Culture and Heritage. They were skeptical, turned wide eyed, when my trusted guitar was pulled out to describe who and what we were about.

Up to this point our vision to boldly go where no man goes, received scrutiny, encouragements, expert tweaks but no twerks that suggested we were barking up the wrong money tree.

However the message in the bottle, a 30 sec retention of " Pepeha " by Six60 was so powerful and clear, as to move us all to tears..including a presentation by Tuppy.

This song played all night and morning in my sleep on the final day of this wananga and so only had one opportunity to present to the Academy and no practice before the 4 panelists..

Just concentrating on my job of presenting the Academy through this song, I was stunned by the powerful harmony that broke my concentration, albeit I knew we were all good to carry on with our kaupapa.

I must thank the Academy team Zachary Holly, Casey Gannon, Jackie Edwards-Bruce, Sophia Thomas and of my wife Tuppy for their amazing work.
There's is more to be done and regardless of the outcome of any funding distribution to all entities, we wish them good luck.

It is with much happiness that we acquired so much learnings and made great connections that will further enhance our kaupapa...

And just like the beginning, WOW!!

The WOW factor has rejuvenated our seemly impossible dream...

Special mention and thanks to our kaiawhina Tika (Nitika), Mareikura and especially ( Sir) Matahi Brightwell MBE!!

30/05/2022

We have been busy running waka ama programs for Springbank school. This is week 4 of 4....Monday to Thursday
Karakia, waiata and waka of course

07/03/2022

Putting the name out there...

06/11/2021

Sorry we've been a tad quiet on this page, but busy off it...hope everyone is well and vaccinated...here in Te Tii the ultimate vaccine ( not really) is the one and only Fat Oysters

30/07/2021

Hara mai tētahi āhua!!...

❤️ Uncle Danny and his awesome whakaaro to obtain this pontoon as apart of a FOAI community initiative for the tamariki of Te Tii..

The pontoon has had an interesting journey up the Te Kerei Mangonui Inlet and it is now situated down at Bagtown Te Tii. Blessed and ready to go!..

🙏 Thank you Vanessa and Richard Owen, Uncle Phil Stocker, Uncle Ali Robinson, Cuzzy Jimmy Popata, Xani and Fraser for all your awhi 🙏 Thanks to Nana Rawi and these Te Tii mokopuna for your tautoko to bless the pontoon today 😍😍

Whaaa waho bring on the Manu Comps 😜 ohhhh and bring on the warmer summer days. Let's all make sure we look after our pontoon Whānau.. 🙌🙌

Have A Blessed Weekend xx